Ultimate Super Bowl Takeout Guide

By Scott Kearnan | January 28, 2014

Frozen chicken wings. Cheese from a can. Microwave-made "burger" sliders. On Super Bowl Sunday, the options for dining are often rather bleak. But we've gathered together a variety of take-out options from around the city that will rescue you on game day - from elevated tailgate fare to truly creative sandwich platters. Here's what to order (and when) to make sure you have the best food at the most coveted seat in the house: your couch.

Those looking to oink out on chef Tony Maws' food should consider the Craigie "Pigskin Package," a $75 feast for six to eight people that features a "head-to-tail" roast pig's head with fried tails, two salsas and tortillas. Add a quart of wild-boar chili and corn bread for $20. Orders will be taken by phone (617-497-5511) until Saturday, pending availability. So ring now, and plan to pick up Sunday between 1-6 PM.

Naturally, Maws' other restaurant is also taking part in game-day dining. Kirkland's Super Bowl Package ($75) boasts six Kielbasa sausages with all the fixin's: brioche buns, sauerkraut, KTT mustards and pickles. Plus you get two dozen green chile chicken wings (pictured), and housemade tortilla chips with one quart each of guacamole and black-bean dip. Again, orders will be taken by phone (857-259-6585) until Saturday, with pick up on Sunday between 1-6 PM.

Chef Will Gilson's Somerville American has already knocked out the culinary competition, producing one of the best things we ate all last year. So we're inclined to enlist his gourmet Super Bowl Snacks; the menu includes Wagyu corned-beef ribs (half rack per person); one Cabot clothbound cheddar bratwurst; a half-pint each of black-eyed pea salad and kohlrabi slaw; and four Parker House rolls. Each package is $15 per person, with a four-person minimum to order. Place by Saturday, pickup on Sunday: 617-615-6195.

You can probably take your pick of sandwich shops offering Super Bowl takeout, but go big or go home; Pauli's, after all, is the North End shop known for creating gargantuan hits like a 24-oz. lobster roll and a bacon-pancake breakfast sandwich. For game day, they're giving us two team-inspired platters: the Denver Omelet Sandwich and the Seattle Lox and Cream Cheese Bagel Sandwich. They're available in platters of 10: $50 for 10, $100 for 20, and $250 for 50. Place your order by Saturday by calling: (857-284-7064).

This Brookline favorite is what many consider Boston's best approximation of a New York-style deli. But for Super Bowl Sunday, it is trading its daily "Krazy Knish" concept for a full-on spread of tailgate-themed knishes: varieties include nachos, pigs in a blanket, Swedish meatballs and more. They can be ordered alongside the typical deli platters for $3.25 each, with a deadline of noon on Saturday (617-738-3354).

Also going the Jewish deli route is chef Tim Maslow's Watertown favorite. He's offering a Super Bowl take-out package designed to feed four people ($120) with the following haul: 16 pieces of tzimmes wings, 4 pints of Grandma Pearl's matzo ball soup, four sweet potato knishes, a pound each of corned beef and pastrami (with housemade dark rye for sandwich making), eight pieces of chocolate rugelach, and a slew of condiments that include pickled green tomatoes, homemade sauerkraut and Russian dressing. It's $30 to feed each additional person, and plenty of extras are available for an added cost: like kugel, chopped liver and New York cheesecake. Orders will be taken through Saturday, February 1 (via phone or e-mailing e.benson39@gmail.com) and can be picked up between 1-4 PM on game day (617-923-4330).

The jm Curley burger is downright legendary - and until Thursday, the beloved downtown gastropub is taking orders for those who want to throw a patty party on game day. Curley burgers ($7.50 each), "baskets o' fries" ($6 each) and 12-piece bowls of Buffalo chicken wings ($15 each) are available for your all-American football feasting.

It's eponymous owner might have made his name in baseball, but a Super Bowl take-out package from a pro athlete still feels apropos. The Fenway-side sports grill has a Super Party Platter ($48) that feeds eight to 10 with roasted artichoke and spinach dip, Buffalo chicken dip with fried wonton crisps, chips and salsa, 18 sliders (beef with cheddar, pulled pork and sloppy joes), and 18 wings of various flavors. Order anytime this week by calling: 617-236-7369.

One of the Boston area's most beloved barbecue spots is unsurprisingly offering up "Game Day Packages" that feed six to eight. The heavyweight? "The Big Three" package ($99.99) that combines 3 lbs. of Kansas City rib tips with 2 lbs. of hot sausage with peppers and onions; 30 jumbo BBQ chicken wings; a quart each of baked beans and cole slaw (or potato salad); a half-pan of cornbread; a pint of homemade pickles; and various sauces for slathering about. You can also add any number of à la carte "starters" that serve 12-15, like the Texas Smoky Links ($48), or housemade kielbasa with choice of Texas red barbecue or South Carolina honey mustard sauce. 48-hour notice is requested for orders, which can be picked up from either the Newton or Arlington location. (Delivery is available if you spend more than $150.) Call or e-mail: (617-BIG-RIBS), catering@blueribbonbbq.com.

The Cambridge institution known for Scoville-scorching plates is serving a pretty hot slew of "Bulky Game Day BBQ." Among the offerings available en masse: North Carolina pulled pork ($13) and Texas-style sliced beef brisket ($15) by the pound; a whole slab of ribs ($27); a whole spit-roasted chicken ($15); and a whopping chips and salsa platter ($75). Orders taken this week for Sunday pickup between 2:30-5 PM, though delivery is available for orders exceeding $500. Call: 617-547-1274.

Culinary power-couple Joanne Chang and Chris Myers have put together a "Super Bowl Takeout Extravaganza" for their South End Chinese. It's available in two sizes. Feeding five to eight fans is a $120 package with a 3-ft.-long Jersey-style banh mi (pork meatballs in red sauce with fixin's); chips and edamame guacamole; nasi goreng; and General Myers' chicken wings. For 12-15 fans, $250 gets you all of that plus tea-smoked pork spare ribs, kimchi quinoa bokkeumbop and egg rolls. Sunday pick-up orders are due by 5 PM Friday, January 31, by phone: 617-542-5200.

The South End's boutique cheese shop actually throws an annual Super Bowl barbecue, firing up a grill for a Saturday (11 AM-2 PM) celebration of the appropriate fare. Lines are usually long, but if you preorder, you can skip the line during Saturday's party - or just bring your boxed BBQ home for your own celebration during Sunday's pick-up-only hours after 10 AM. House-smoked meats are used for sandwiches of pulled pork, rosemary garlic pulled lamb and beef brisket. All-beef hot dogs, whole racks of St. Louis ribs and more are on the full menu here. Call 617-354-4750 by 5 PM Tuesday for large (six or more people) orders, and by 5 PM Friday for smaller groups.

The new Chestnut Hill location of Del Frisco's Grille, the steakhouse brand's more casual and contemporary cousin, is creating platters of Philly cheesesteak egg rolls for pickup on Super Bowl Sunday. Each $11 platter includes 16 rolls, and you'll want to order by phone by week's end: 617-608-3682.